The 1984 Gordon Conference on Mammalian Gametogenesis and Embryogenesis will bring together a large number of experts on oogenesis, spermatogenesis and the preimplantation mammalian embryo for a discussion of recent advances in these fields. The emphasis of this Gordon Conference, as can be seen from a perusal of the program, represents the belief that gametogenesis is closely relataed to early embryogenesis. Not only do both involve the same cells but they also involve similar approaches from the fields of cell biology, developmental genetics, biochemistry, ultrastructural research, immunology and experimental biology. This is particularly true in the case of mammals, where there has been rapid progress during recent years in the areas of maternal inheritance, embryonic cell fate and potency, nuclear determination, regulation of gene expression, and mechanisms of sexual determination. The need for bringing together investigators (and students) with new information on mammalian germ cell production and embryology in one meeting is quite clear.